A Play on Predator and Prey
by silver drip
Summary: Aro meets Bella in an Italian store. Bella knows nothing of vampires, but their encounter will leave a mark on Aro. No longer a one-shot. Complete. R
1. A Play on Predator and Prey

**Aro's Point of View**

"It's good to get out of the castle once in a while." Alec announced as we strolled down a busy street. "You should keep up with the modern times, Aro."

"We should have just stayed in Volterra." Felix mumbled, glaring down any human that would walk in his path.

"At least we are still in Italy. I'm sick of Heidi choosing all of my clothes." We entered a large store filled with suits. "Felix, please try to act normal."

"I'll just wait at the door." I waved Felix off and Alec stuck close to my side.

"What is the name of this store again?" I asked letting my fingers roll over the racks of suits.

"No idea. Heidi gave me the address." Alec flashed the piece of paper with the street name on it. "She highly recommends this place."

"Excuse me, sir; is there anything I can help you with?" A brunette with a tailor's measuring tape draped around her neck said. She was wearing a sleek skirt and blouse and her hair was up in a sloppy bun.

I was a bit startled that the human approached us. I smiled, she smelled absolutely delicious.

"A suit."

"Hm, really, a suit?" The woman said sarcastically, looking around the shelves and racks of suits and ties. Alec chuckled and I hissed at him too low for a human to hear. "Well the one you are wearing looks rather nice. We can start from there." She eyed my suit for quite a while and I straightened out my golden Volturi crest, lapel pin. "This way please." She led us to the back of the store. "I'll need to take your measurements."

"There is no need for that, I have my measurements right here." Alec pulled out another note from Heidi.

"Everybody grows, sir; even a man of your age." The way she said sir had an undertone of mockery. Alec tried not to laugh, in vain.

I stood still, feeling a bit awkward as she took my measurements. The awkwardness was shortly after followed by annoyance at my childishness. Then the awkwardness was back when she measured from my inner thigh to heel. Women in my human days were nothing like this.

She straightened out my coat and I took that time to examine her. She was lovely by human standards, a sort of classical appeal. Her chocolate eyes looked smarter than what her profession required and she seemed to have a perpetual blush that fit her appearance.

I couldn't get enough of this woman's scent. I swore to have her blood by the end of the night.

"Sir, I asked you if you like pin stripes or not." The woman held up two suits, one with and one without.

"Either are fine, miss…" She didn't take the bait and give me her name.

"Good, try this one first and then we'll make adjustments if you like it." She led me to a dressing room. "I'll be back in a moment. I think I have the perfect three-piece that would go well with your skin tone." The store clerk scurried away and I closed the curtain to the small cubical they called a changing room.

I changed into the suit at a slow pace. It looked good enough.

"Alec, go get that woman. This coat doesn't sit right on me."

"It's just the style of the coat."

"Go." I commanded. I continued to examine the modern clothing when he came back empty handed.

"Uhm, Aro." Alec said meekly. I wheeled around to face him, not like his tone. I grabbed his hand and riffled through his past thoughts.

"They have no female employees?" I seethed and he nodded. I quickly changed and froze when I saw my reflection. I was missing my golden lapel pin. Upon further inspection my cufflinks and wallet were gone. "Track that woman." I growled.

"I can't leave you unguarded."

"Go!" He was gone in a flash. I tidied up my now wrinkled suit, trying to figure out how a human had pick pocketed me without me noticing. I met Felix outside and clasped onto his arm see his memories.

I could see her. She had taken down her hair and lost the measuring tape, replacing it with a leather coat. The woman was flirting with Felix, her hand on his shoulder.

I pulled out of Felix's mind.

"Felix, please tell me you still have your wallet."

"Of course-" A look of bewilderment crossed onto his face when he checked his pocket.

"What the fuck?"

I was livid.

"That bitch." Felix opened his mouth to question me, but I raised my hand to silence him.

Alec appeared by my side minutes later, once again empty handed.

"I lost her scent. There are too many humans milling about and diluting her scent. Also," He was hesitating, "our car is missing."

**Oh my gracious, I could do so much with this. Part of me wants to go wild with this, but the other, which already has too much on its plate says to just leave this as a weird one-shot. **


	2. Invasion!

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

* * *

**AN: I decided to make this one-shot into a story. You might want to go back and reread the first chapter. **

**Chapter 2: Invasion!**

**Bella's Point of View**

What type of idiot carries thousands of Euros around in their wallet? Let alone two idiots?

I discreetly counted the bills again and laughed. I had already pawned off the old man's cufflinks, but I liked his lapel pin too much to sell it. The jewel encrusted V just captured my eye. The details were just too fine and interact for me to just get rid of.

The cufflinks had sold for a surprisingly high price and I could hardly think about how much this slip of the hand could get me. I wouldn't sell the pin though.

My hobby had just granted me enough money for another year abroad to play till reality backslapped me. I rolled out a large world map onto the dusty table of some obscure café and scanned it.

Last year had been France, this year Italy; perhaps next I will go to Germany. I pulled out a German dictionary and pondered if I really wanted to become quadrilingual. Wasn't three languages enough?

I let out a huff and looked around the café. The few people here were in their own little worlds. I pulled out two recently purchased, not stolen post cards and started writing my weekly letters to my parents.

By the time my tea was lukewarm I had written my usual vague drab about backpacking from one place to another, picking up the different cultures, and making life long memories.

I paid and purchased a small sandwich, leaving a hardy tip when I left. The heaviness of my backpack didn't affect me anymore.

Indecision was my worst enemy.

There were always too many decisions, too many career options, too many colleges, countries, everything. I sat on the edge of a fountain and started nibbling on my sandwich.

A shiver ran down my back. Those eyes, I could still picture them. That old man's murky brown eyes. Something was off about him.

A drop of mustard fell on my jeans.

"Fuck." I whispered slowly. I threw a few pieces of crust to the birds then stood up, bumping into a fat man. He was a wallet lighter now.

I dropped off my two postcards. Both had a rustic looking picture of a castle and the word Volterra scrolled on the bottom.

* * *

**Aro's Point of View**

"This is a waste of our resources." Marcus sighed.

"I don't care. I'm not going to let some human get the best of me." My irritability still didn't want to leave me, even after three days after that woman's little stunt.

"Still, dispatching more than half the guard… you are being unreasonable. All you gave the trackers was a sketch of the woman and a faded scent." Caius added on.

"We found the car. That is a start."

"Yes, two blocks away. That human just moved it to mess with you, Aro."

* * *

**Bella's Point of View**

The little instrument in my hand felt smooth. I brought my petite ocarina to my mouth and started playing the theme song to Super Mario Bros while subtly looking at the people crossing my path.

I happened to spot something very interesting. My surprise almost made me lose the beat, almost.

That lapel pin, its design was engraved into a stone high up on the wall surrounding the city I was currently passing through. I looked around again, sharpening my eyesight and trying to take in every detail.

I spotted the design on a woman, a very slutty woman. She was wearing it on a necklace, a rather troublesome item to filch. Other than that there wasn't anything I could take off of her considering she was only wearing an itty-bitty skirt and a bosom enhancing shirt.

Her eyes caught mine. They were bright purple, another murky eye color. I winked at her with a coy smile.

She was a seductress. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I was proven correct when she smiled back and gave me a little wave.

The seductress started gathering tourist, showing them around the little city. I kept her in my peripheral vision for as long as I could. I put away my ocarina and started to follow the group at the farthest distance I could achieve without losing sight of them.

Slowly she herded them into an arching door of the towering castle. I weighed the pros and cons of following. On one hand I could take the risk of getting found out, caught, killed, then cut up… and on the other I could… throw caution to the wind and have fun. The decision was saddeningly easy.

With a chuckle I clicked the back of my heels together thrice chanting in my head 'There's no place like tomorrow, there's no place like tomorrow, there's no place like tomorrow.' It was an odd mantra, but it gave me the guts to get the job done, or in this case the balls to enter an eerie castle that may or may not be harboring two men who I stole thousands of Euros from. They were probably in the mafia.

I went back to my hotel room, dropped off my backpack and the bulk of my cash into a wall safe. I changed into business apparel. A few minutes later I walked through the large arch that led into the castle like I owned the place. The lapel pin found its way onto my shirt.

There was a woman that looked like every other model in a magazine sitting at the front desk. She didn't have the murky eyes. The woman was lazily shuffling papers around, stopping every once in a while to doodle a picture.

"At least pretend to be working." I said in my harshest Italian. The woman jumped up, scattering papers onto the floor.

"I am deeply sorry. Please forgive me, mistress" She bent her head downwards in a sort of bow. I didn't answer and she began to shake.

"Pick your mess up and get back to your post." The woman scurried around the room picking up papers. When she was seated and had straightened out the pile she finally looked at me. She looked a bit perplexed before spotting my lapel pin. She stayed silent as I walked past her to a smaller door that I assumed led to a hallway.

I slowly ghosted down the desolate passage. The walls were covered with archaic paintings that had to be worth thousands. My fingers itched to steal one, but there was no way I could smuggle that out unnoticed. There were probably hidden cameras all around me and I made sure my head was tilted downwards.

I skimmed the tips of my fingers against the cold stone walls. The paintings held hauntingly pale people with dark eyes. There was only one man that did not bear those burgundy eyes. He was a blond fellow with equally blond eyes. He was the only one who didn't give me the willies.

No one past by me as I continued down the corridor. I froze when a particularly large painting caught my eye. There were three older men all in dress robes that fell to the floor elegantly, but that was not the thing that made me pause. It was the man in the middle. He looked exactly like the man in the suit shop that I pick pocketed. My heartbeat picked up as I was met with the painting's radiant red eyes. All three of them had those demon eyes.

Ignoring my nerves that weren't coming from my trespassing I stepped closer to the painting. Forging wasn't my forte, but from what I could see the painting was authentic enough to be hundreds of years old. I took a calming breathe and started back on my way to quench my curiosity.

There were too many doors and passageways for me to choose from so I let my instincts lead the way. As I delved deeper into the castle the air grew sweet and my head lightened. I kept picturing the older man's face, analyzing it. It was too symmetrical, unnaturally so. The murky brown suddenly became clear and I saw a flash of red hidden by contacts. Everything about him was just… wrong.

My feet took me to a door much more interact with its carvings than any I had passed before. I grasped onto the handle, immediately identifying it as solid gold. Just the cost of it thrilled me.

My tongue flicked out, moistening my lips in anticipation. I lived for moments like this. The instants when my hand slipped into someone's pocket clasping onto their wallet, the chance they would catch me. It was that split second in a con where the mark decides if they are going to hand over their Euros or call me out. It was the moment where either I failed fabulously, losing everything or winning once more, relishing in yet another victory.

There was no creak as I opened the door and entered the luxurious room. It was by far the most excessive and lavish bedroom I'd ever seen. There was no way such riches could be gained by legitimate means.

I breathed in deeply. The room had a sweet musty scent to it that was very alluring. My fingers ghosted over the silk sheets of the four post bed. It was so smooth that I let out a little gasp. I had never felt something of this quality, and I've 'toured' many rick folk's houses/mansions.

Old books covered most of a ceiling high bookshelf. Intermittently there were random trinkets, one of which was a crown. It was heavy and jewel incrusted. I plopped it on my head and chuckled at my reflection. It was a bit too big and sagged to cover my eyebrows. I left it on and grabbed a stone on a higher shelf. I couldn't identify what sort of metal it was, but could instantly tell it was expensive. It was small enough, so I placed it between my cleavage, just out of sight.

I wanted to take many of the other items there, but didn't have the room to carry it all. For a moment I considered taking the bed sheets and making them into a bag to take all the priceless toys, but quickly dismissed it. It would look too suspicious if I was hauling around a lumpy bed sheet while in business attire.

Opening the closet I found a few of the cloaks I had seen in many of the paintings. I put the shortest one on that I could find. It just barely touched the ground. Along with the cloaks there were many suits from various centuries. It only cemented in my mind that these 'things', those men who I stole from, were anything but human.

My adrenalin was pumping out at an all new high and it made me giddy. I had to take a few long breathes to calm my heart down to a reasonable pace.

In a drawer I found a thick money clip of Euros. I hiked up my skirt I placed it right where my garter belt met my stockings. Another year of exploration was funded.

The slightest clicking of two pairs of shoes alerted me to incoming danger. There were only three other rooms in the corridor so there was a 75% chance that they wouldn't enter this room. Nonetheless, I quickly took the crown off and placed it where it usually sat. Glancing around for hiding spots I decided to be a bit more daring than usual.

The four post bed's top was covered in cloth that draped down, but was secured. The posts were made of solid oak that I was confident could hold my small size. Each of the posts had a plank of wood connecting it to the two closets corners of the four posts. Using a trick used to climb coconut trees, I climbed up the post and onto the thin plank. I pushed myself flush against the wall and made sure I couldn't be seen.

I tried to center my mind on remaining still and calming myself. I tricked myself into a zen like state of being. My heart was beating at an unnaturally slow pace.

The door slammed open, but I didn't let it startle me. A god-awful growl echoed in the plush room. Against my will a sheen of sweat started forming on my forehead and my heart rate increased.

The sound of a wood chipper screeched in my ears as two of the bedposts were destroyed. My breath caught as I fell onto the bed and onto random pieces of debris. Standing in front of me with a sneer on his face was the man from the suit store and a blond boy who couldn't have been older than thirteen. Both had black eyes.

"Alec," the man said tersely, "you're dismissed." The boy looked at him startled, but didn't question the order. Before I could comprehend it the boy was gone. I stood up and brushed the bits of wood off of the cloak I was 'borrowing'. For some reason I wasn't scared, only excited.

"Fancy meeting you here!" I put on my most charming smile and he narrowed his eyes. "I just stopped by to return this." I took off the 'V' lapel pin. "It looked like a family heirloom, so I thought it was the right thing to do." I held it in the palm of my hand for him to take, but instead he grabbed my wrist. A look of shock flashed across his features before it was replaced with what I'm guessing is his standard scowl.

"Why are you playing dress up in my room?" His words were mangled by growls and he let go of my wrist. He disappeared from in front of me and was now by the bookshelf. In his hands was the crown I had been wearing not ten minutes ago. He lifted it to his nose and breathed in deeply.

The screeching of metal bending made me cringe. In his hands was a clump of gold and that was the exact second I knew I was completely screwed.

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**This story will mostly be in Aro's POV and I'll be updating every 4 days. Please send me your thoughts in the form of reviews! **


	3. Golden Lumps and Rocky Bumps

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Chapter 3: Golden Lumps and Rocky Bumps**

**Bella's POV**

The definitely not human man dropped the ball of gold that was once a crown onto the ground. I knew gold was a soft metal, but I'm sure as Hell that it's not that soft.

I glanced around the room, looking for an escape. A few minutes ago I had been confident that I could subdue this man with a few choice jabs and throws, but that was back when I thought he had the strength of a normal human man. He was obviously confident in his ability to keep me in the room, considering he wasn't even trying to block the only doorway out. I shifted my weight in its direction and he let out a growl.

Okay, that's not going to work. There was a window with old fashion glass that I could jump through, but I was two stories too high for that not to be a fatal fall.

The old man with his glossy black hair and dark red eyes was staring at me and it was giving me the creeps. As subtly as I could I slipped off my left three inch heel. His eyes snapped to the movement.

I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do right now was keep calm and try to figure out a plan as I distract him.

"I wasn't playing dress up, per say." I tried to stall. He was in front of me again, moving the short distance in less than a second. He was gripping the black cloak I was wearing.

"Then why are you wearing my cloak?" He was too close for my comfort. I could practically feel his cold breath on my skin. He undid the knot I tied on the front of the velvety robe and it fell to the ground into a black puddle at my feet. "You have no right to wear the garb of royalty."

"The concept of royalty being important is outdated. They only have as much value as the public gives them." I said contrarily before even thinking. He snorted and I could see how much of a predator he was. His teeth glinted in the dim light and the muscles that weren't covered from my sight were wiry and taunt.

"You're thinking too narrowly." He chuckled darkly. "You're only thinking of the royalty in your human world." So many questions ran through my head, but none passed my lips. "They are just figureheads. We are not." His fingers laced through my hair and pulled back, making me face the ceiling. I felt his breath on my neck then his nose brushing against my pulse point. I couldn't control the quiver that ran through me.

"There is no royalty ruling over Italy." My voice sounded calmer than I felt. The gold 'V' still clutched in my hand was slipping through my sweaty fingers. "There are V's everywhere, rimming the outer castle walls, on lapels, in the paintings, and in the marble floors. King of Volterra?" I asked and he laughed quietly.

"Think bigger." He let go of my hair and I looked at him. He looked very amused. Words beginning with V shifted through my mind, none of which really making sense. He wasn't human. We both knew that. A list of supernatural creatures ran through my head, from aliens to yetis, but there was only one that stuck. Vampires.

"King of vampires?" He was circling me and didn't answer. "Since we are obviously close friends now you might as well know my name is Bella." It's strange to try and humanize yourself to a predator.

"Aro." He said simply.

"Well, Aro, as fun as this has been, I really ought to get going. Things to do, people to meet, etcetera, etcetera." I made for the door at a casual pace, but he grabbed me by the arm, stopping my progression. I twisted around, flicked my left leg up, caught my shoe, and pulled a knife no longer than my thumb from it. In less than a second I had it at his throat.

"I have a feeling that this won't do anything to you, and I'm not one to kill without just cause, so how do we get out of this little predicament?" The blade was against his neck, but I couldn't feel his pulse. Even though I was pressing down firmly his skin wasn't dimpling in the slightest.

"The moment I smelt you in that store you supposedly worked in, I knew I was going to kill you." This was unquestionably not what I wanted to hear. "This ends with you dying." Aro pushed the knife away from his throat effortlessly, bending the blade with the pad of his thumb. "So how do you want to die, Bella the thief?"

"Preferably old, grey, and surrounded by my grandbabies." I let out a halfhearted cackle.

* * *

**Aro's POV**

This little slip of a woman had my interest. She was cocky. She had pick pocketed me and one of my guards and even had the gall to break into my house and home. She had stuck a knife to my throat, and was still making jokes. I didn't know if I should be angry or entertained.

Her thoughts evaded me. It was both infuriating and refreshing. If she was a vampire I would be unnerved, but as a human I could easily dispatch of her.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Her fluttering heart picked up its tempo. I started circling her again. I grabbed a lock of her hair and breathed in her scent. Absolutely mouth watering. "You seem quite well spoken and from your accent I assume you're fluent in both English and Italian. Why are you stealing then?" I don't know why I keep asking her questions rather than just killing her.

"While we're listing languages I'm also fluent in French. I'm thinking about taking up German next." I grinned. She really thought that she was going to get out of this alive.

"You're not answering the question, thief."

"Well, _vampire_," she spat the word out, "would you rather tour the world or fulfill your parents half baked dreams that they were too stupid to do when they were my age?" Bella's eyes fleeted around. I could tell she was trying to find an escape again.

"When I was your age a child did what their parents ordered." I was still baffled on why I kept sharing information with her. It seemed like I couldn't get control of my tongue or my thoughts. Bella glared at me and I just smiled back.

"Your social views are outdated." I ignored her. "And I'm far from being a child." I jotted behind her and pulled her against me. Practically picking her up, I placed us in front of the mirror. Our reflection showed a man with red eyes nuzzling a woman's neck. She was thin, but had the curves that any straight man would lust after. I lifted her chin and made her look at her own reflection.

"Yes, I can see that clearly." Her eyes were slightly hooded, but there was still defiance there. Bella pulled her arm forward slightly before ramming it backwards and elbowing me in the stomach. I didn't flinch. The sudden movement dislodged something from her blouse and it fell to the ground. I glanced down and saw a chunk of metal given to me as a boy on the ground. I snarled at her and her breathe caught in her throat.

"Aro…" Bella whispered, silencing the rumbling in my chest. I released her and she struggled to stand on her own. My proximity had clearly affected her. She leaned against one of the bedposts I hadn't destroyed.

"You said you aren't one to kill without just cause. Does that mean you have killed before?" The thought of her killing another human being had me smiling. She remained tight lipped. "Now Bella, do you really think this place is wired. As you said we are two close friends. These are the sort of things friends share." She still didn't speak. "I'm not part of the police nor am I about to go running to them. If that was my intention I'd already have you charged with robbery, carjacking, breaking and entering, and along with another slew of other charges so speak!" Bella let out a very human growl at me.

"Fine! I've been caught a total of thirteen times pick pocketing. One time a man a year or two older than me tried to make me pay him back with my body so when he tried to force me against my will I gutted him. His innards fell all over the ground and he bled out in a matter of minutes!" I growled at the prospect of someone touching her, but was strangely proud of her for slicing him open. "Another time I broke into a high end boutique just for kicks, but the owner was working late and startled me. She had her hand on her cell phone, a dial away from the police. I tried to knock her out twice with a book to her head so I could tie her up, but she wouldn't black out. She opened her mouth to scream after she dropped her phone so I slit her throat!" Bella's voice was ragged and I could tell that recalling the story stressed her. "I didn't enjoy it, but it was necessary." Bella steeled the look on her face, pushing away any guilt she felt and replacing it with determined righteousness. I let the subject drop.

"Tell me Bella, who knows you're here?"

"My parents." Her heart didn't give away any evidence of deception. I tilted my head to the side.

"Maybe I should clarify. I assume they know you're in Italy, but do they know you're in this castle?" She stuck her chin up boldly. "I'll take that as they don't have a clue. Does anyone know you're here?"

"No point in lying, is there really? They know I'm in the city, but not the castle." I looked for any signs of her lying, but couldn't find any. "And where are your things, since I know you have more than this one outfit." Bella looked at me warily. She was coming off her adrenalin high. I'd have to scare her back into it.

"The small inn with the black cat painted on it near the northern wall. I forgot its name." She pulled out a key from her other shoe. I was surprised by how good she was at hiding random items on her person. "Why do you even want to know that if you're just going to kill me?" Bella's voice lashed out at me, bringing me back to reality.

What the bloody Hell was I doing? Before she spoke I was a second away from ordering one of the guards to fetch her things and bring them here. In a fit of anger at my own strange actions I wrapped my hands around her neck and squeezed. She looked at me with wide eyes. At first, the only emotion I saw was surprise, but that quickly warped into defiance. Tendrils of hatred laced their way into her eyes and I released my grip. Bella kneeled over, coughing and trying to catch her breath.

Using the bedpost she pulled herself upright. Her left hand was cradling her petite neck. She was still panting and her hair had fallen a bit out of its bun she had it up in. Bella sat on the bed glaring at me. At least her adrenalin level was back up.

Seeing her out of breath, on my bed, and hair mussed up did something to me. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere along the line of our two encounters I wanted to sink more than just my teeth into her.

This revelation startled me.

She was different, and I wanted her for more than just her blood. I tried to gauge just how much I wanted her whether it be for a quick fuck or for something more long-term was still amiss. I was leaning towards the latter.

Bella was eyeing me, waiting to see what I would do next.

"My thief, your life is mine now." Giving commands was the only way I knew how to handle others. She would have to learn that if anything long-term was to come of whatever _this _was.

"The Hell it is!" Her voice was hoarse. I smiled ominously.

"You're in a castle filled with vampires and each of them is faster, stronger, and smarter than you." Bella's hands were balled up in annoyance.

"If you all are so damn superior how did I pickpocket not one, but two of you dipshits?" I found her shouting at me oddly erotic. With each word her whole body bristled and her face flushed. She was something fierce for a human, a whiff of smoke pretending to be a blazing forest fire. I wanted to crush her while at the same time wanting to have her as my own.

"Your life and consequently your death, are in my hands." I whispered the words into her ear.

"I'd rather kill myself than have _you_ of all the beings on the earth ruling my fate!" Bella spit at my feet making me hiss. She made a run for the door again, but I caught her quickly and shoved her onto the bed. A knock on the door startled us both. I was already furious and this interruption just fuelled my anger.

"What!" I growled out as I opened the door. Felix was stunned at my tone, but when his eyes saw Bella he growled. On instinct I grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall. "Leave before I kill you!" I let him go and slammed the door in his face before he could say anything.

I started pacing the room, glaring at Bella. I felt like I was going out of my mind because of this woman. In frustration I tore down the bookshelf. Books scattered on the floor. I zoomed over to Bella and held her by her shoulders

"What are you doing to me you Witch?" I shouted at her shaking her shoulders, restraining my power.

**I couldn't really find a good place to end this chapter so I did here.**


	4. True or False?

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Chapter 4: True or False?**

**Aro's POV**

_Previously: "What are you doing to me you Witch?" I shouted at her shaking her shoulders, restraining my power. Bella glowered at me._

"Stop blaming me for your personality defects!" She tried pushing me away, but I didn't budge. Her warm hand slapped me across the face, but remained there. "You're out of your fucking mind." Her brown eyes were focused on my red ones, trying to read something in them. She dropped her hand and crossed her arms. A wisp of panic penetrated the anger in my chest.

"You're mine!" I tried to assert, but she didn't even look up at me. Her eyes were trained on the wall behind me.

"I'm as much yours as a frog owns the sky!" Bella tried brushing my hands off her shoulders, but I didn't let her. "If you didn't figure it out you're the frog in this scenario." She still didn't look me in the eyes. With one of her hands she undid her hair and ran her fingers through it in aggravation. Her scent made my mouth water.

"What is it that you want then, you selfish Bitch!" I had the world. All she had to do was ask for it. Fear of losing her was breaking through my self-control. Previously, self perpetuating was at the top of my list, but Bella was overriding all my instincts and replacing it with just one: Make her mine. "I have more money than seconds you've been alive! Is that what you want?" She didn't answer and still didn't look at me. "Or is it power? I rule this whole world! If you are mine no one would dare question you. They'd lick the shit off your shoes rather than defy you!" Bella remained stoic and I felt like ripping the hair out of my head. I could easily shackle her to the walls of my room, but the concept of hurting her suddenly made me feel sick even though I was strangling her only a few minutes ago. "Gods be damned! What is it you want woman!" She finally looked me in the eyes, giving me a sense of relief for a total of half a second. That minuscule moment was shattered when she opened her mouth.

"What do I want?" Bella echoed in an equally loud voice. "I want you to let go of my shoulders!" I complied, taking a step backwards. "This is obviously not about the money I stole, so is it your pride?" Bella stood at her full height, which barely reached my chin. "I'm not some whore you can just buy!" I roared in aggravation and punched a hole through one of the stone walls. I could hear gasps coming from the hallway.

"Stay here." I commanded as I headed towards the door.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to order me around!" She started following me and the anger that I thought couldn't get any higher seemed to go to new heights. I turned around to shout at her.

"Damn it! Can't you just do one thing I tell you? Do you not understand that I could kill you in the blink of an eye!" Once again she matched my tone and noise level.

"I think we're beyond death threats by now! If killing me was really still an option for you I'd be six feet under by now! Your fucked up mind is so screwed over that you don't have the balls to kill me anymore! Instead you just want to keep me in a little box by your bedside!" Her words struck too close to the mark for my taste. I stepped closer to her and she didn't even falter. Reaching up I just hardly touched her cheek. My fingers curled together and I had to consciously stop it from forming a fist. I truly was going mad.

"Your death would be a favor to the both of us! I wouldn't have to hear you hissing and spitting like a rabid lion caught in a snare and you wouldn't have to deal with my company that you seem to despise so much!" I wanted to wrap my fingers back around her neck and squeeze until she finally shut up, but couldn't muster the will for such a task.

"It seems like you're taking this whole situation rather personally! This has nothing to do with me enjoying or not enjoying your dreadful company!" Bella grabbed my shirt and yanked me forward. "It's about you trying to have authority over me that you don't have!" Her voice was lower than before, but still held the same amount of anger.

"Authority? I have more power over you than you could comprehend. I don't have to kill you to hurt you." I turned back to the door and started walking towards it again. She was only a step behind me. In the hallway was a gathering of guards, all of which were listening in on our loud conversation. I gave a warning growl and all but one ran off. He was one of the newer vampires. He was obviously not the smartest. I pounced on him and in a few swift movements decapitated him. I shoved the head in front of her and she pushed it away. "Is this what you want me to do to you? Cut you up in to pieces just so we both can get some peace and quiet?"

"If you haven't noticed I'm not the only one here making a bit of noise! You've been shouting yourself ragged and nearly blown out my eardrums on more than one occasion." I tossed the head onto the stone floor and grabbed her wrist. I dragged her back into the room and she tried fighting my ironclad grip.

"Stop struggling! You are mine!"

"You persistent SOB! Just let me go!" I let go of her wrist just as she gave it a good yank, putting her off balance. She started to fall to the ground, but I caught her quickly, once again making us too close to each other to concentrate."Let me be! I don't want to be here with someone I hate." It felt like a pike had been shoved through my chest and came out the other side.

"Is that how you really feel? I'm the one who should hate you! You've humiliated me twice over! No one has ever stolen from me, let alone some pathetic, weak human." I growled out. "And then you even break into my castle, tarnish my crown, and make me wreck my own room! You're infuriating!"

"First off," she raised her hand up with one finger held up, "why the flying fuck do you care about how I feel about you?" Before I could answer she stuck up another finger and spoke again. "Second, you needed to be humiliated! A little humility would do you some good! I've never seen anyone with a bigger ego than you!" Bella stuck up a third finger. "Third, your self-imposed title of royalty means nothing ergo your crown is just another piece of jewelry." Another finger flew up. "Fourth, what do you mean I _tarnished_ your crown? Just because I'm not one of you pig headed vampires doesn't mean I sullied it! I tried it on, not piss on it!" Finally all her fingers were up. "Fifth, I didn't _make _you wreck your room. You couldn't control your own anger and took it out on the bookshelf and wall.

"Now if you want to talk about forcing people to do things that's a whole other issue!" Bella took a deep breath and dropped her hand back to her side. "_You're _the one forcing _me_ to stay here, not the other way around! If you find me so 'infuriating'" she poorly imitated my voice, "let me leave so then you won't have to deal with me!" I ground my teeth together, trying to control my temper.

"First off," I mocked her, "I don't care about how you feel about me-" Bella cut me off.

"Bullshit!"

"Excuse me?" My nose was flared and it took all my centuries of self-control not to open her chest and pull out her heart.

"You heard me! I don't know why, but you want me to like you." Bella grinned like a cat who caught a very plump mouse. "You have a crush on me don't you?" She walked up to me, grin still in place, confidence over flowing. Her steps had a bit of a sway to them and she circled me the same way I did her what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I like you about as much as a slug likes salt!" She scoffed at me and I growled back. Her sudden self-assurance unnerved me slightly. I had to remind myself that she was nothing but a weak human.

"Just because you're an older than dirt vampire doesn't mean I'm not right." Bella sat back down on the bed. Her back was straight, head tilted slightly to the side and up as if she had just solved a thousand year old mystery. She was still grinning at me.

"Your cockeyed assumption couldn't be more wrong!" The look of triumph on her face didn't change.

"Well if I'm wrong than let me go." I snarled at the idea. "Why keep me here if you hate me oh so much." Bella shrugged matter-of-factly.

"I'm keeping you here because you know of the existence of vampires." Her look of triumph slipped off to one of annoyance. I'm sure my own showcased the look of victory.

"A conclusion you led me to!" We both stared at each other in silence for a moment. I narrowed my eyes trying to figure out what thoughts were streaming through her head. Her stomach growled and she placed her hand on her stomach. "Fighting with your pretentious ass drained me of energy. Fetch me something to eat." She gave me a dismissive wave with the flick of her wrist. I bared my teeth at her and wanted to slap that superior look off her face. Instead I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket and typed in a memorized number.

"Heidi prepare a meal for my guest and bring it to my room." I pushed the off button before she could respond. I dialed Felix. "Come to my room." A few seconds later he was at my door. Bella looked at me curiously. "Key." I ordered. She rolled her eyes at me, but handed me the key to her hotel room. I handed it to Felix. "In the northern part of the city is an inn with a cat painted on it. My guest's things are there. Bring them to me." He nodded and left.

**So what do you think of my bold Bella? **


	5. Two Way Street

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Chapter 5: Two Way Street**

**Aro's POV**

It was silent as she ate. Every few minutes she would look up at me and glare. I was leaning against the opposite wall, sneering at her. Her bags had yet to be delivered, but I could hear Felix approaching. I told him to enter and he put down an overstuffed backpack next to the door. He went to leave, but Bella told him to wait. She rummaged through the backpack and pulled out two wallets and a wad of cash. She flipped through the Euros and stuffed the two wallets with them. She handed one to each of us.

"There. Now we're square. I added in a few extra hundreds for bothering you." Bella turned towards me with a hardened look on her face. "I won't tell your little secret of being vampires. You have dirt on me that could put me in jail for the rest of my short lifespan so you can rest assure that I won't tell a soul." She went to pick up her bag but I snarled, making both her and Felix freeze.

"Do you really think I was going to let you go?" I asked her and she straightened back up, letting go of her bag.

"No, but I had to give it a try." She smiled and sat back down, picking up her dish with a half eaten sandwich on it. Felix eyed the two of us and I hissed at him. He bolted out of the room. Bella continued eating then put her dish to the side. With a sigh she pulled back her hair into a bun. I watched the movement, not able to look away. This was the first time we had actually stopped shouting at each other since our second encounter began.

My eyes snapped to the door of my room. The quick, irritated gate of one of my brothers was nearing. Before I could warn Bella of his approach and to tell her to keep her acidic tongue still Caius opened the door.

"So this is the child you had the guards out hunting only to find her lurking about the castle." Caius gave out a fake laugh. "Your harping has the whole castle covering their ears." He looked at Bella as he said this.

"Are all you vampires pretentious dicks?" Bella lashed back. Caius snarled and flashed forward to backhand her. I caught his hand mid-swing. Bella was startled at his sudden proximity and I growled at Caius. I had once again acted without thinking and the gouge marks from my nails on his wrist was proof of that. Caius raised his eyebrow at me and I released his hand. He took a step away from Bella, but I was still growling at him.

"Get a hold of your human, Aro." Caius said, cradling his wrist. Bella stood up, jutting her chin out. She was sporting the fierce look of anger she used on me, but it was directed at my brother. She turned to me with an evil grin.

"For being the supposed 'King of the Vampires' as you led me to believe you take orders like a servant!" She was trying to turn us against each other and it almost worked.

"He and I are equal kings of this empire. What he says is merely a suggestion that I find to be quite astute." Bella brushed aside the latter part of my comment and focused on the former, with the same sly smirk on her face.

"Perhaps you were right when you said my 'cockeyed assumption' of you having a crush on me was wrong." She suppressed a laugh and I wondered what she was getting at. "Had I known that the two of you were _partners_," she pointed at both of us, "I wouldn't have made such an accusation." Bella burst out laughing and Caius looked confused. I growled at her not so subtle jab and she laughed harder. "Perhaps you're not only the Kings of the Vampires but of Faeries as well!" Caius finally understood her claim of homosexuality. He tried to pounce on her, but I caught him mid air and slammed him to the ground. He was hissing and clawing at me, trying to get to her.

"You may not want to kill her, Aro, but I'd be happy to do the job!" I lifted his body slightly off the ground and with more force than was necessary I sent him crashing back to the ground, his head denting the stone floor.

"Don't you dare touch her!" With each word I spoke venom flew out of my mouth and speckled his face. I picked him back up till I was standing and his feet were hovering three inches above the floor then I shoved him at the door, breaking it. Caius righted himself and brushed off both the bits of wood from this clothing and venom from his face. I was surprised to see that he was more baffled than angry. He looked at the two of us before leaving without a word. I was panting unnecessarily. Never before had I lashed out at one of my brothers before the way I just did.

Bella was sitting on the bed again, looking as much surprised as I felt. Just as I started calming down she spoke again.

"Are all you vampires this temperamental?" My rage burst back up and I tossed a piece of the broken door against the wall, shattering it to splinters.

"Does that answer your question, Bella?" For once she didn't say anything. I was pacing once again. My anger wasn't waning. At my full speed I went to the spot right in front of her. I cradled her chin lightly and made her look me in the eyes. "What is it about you, Bella? Just your presence makes me feel like a crazed newborn vampire, wild and out of control." Her brown eyes weren't giving me any answers. "Are you a siren sent on land to make me go mad?" I had never seen one before, but she was making me believe in them.

"We both know I'm only human. You're the one acting strange, not me." I stared more intently in to her eyes and she looked away from me.

"Yes, you truly are human, but I'm not the only one acting strange today, now am I?" I grinned when she tensed up. "I'm right! So tell me Bella, what has you acting strange?" She didn't respond. "Perhaps it is getting caught? But no, that has happened to you before. Or is it finding out about beings superior to your own human race." She opened her mouth to argue my 'superior' comment, but I continued speaking before she could form the words. "Or perhaps it is me? Do I affect you the same way you affect me?" Bella closed her mouth and glared at me. "Yes! That is it!" Taking a step backwards I clapped my hands together. I felt like I had gained back some of my control over the situation.

"The only affect you have on me is that you make me sick, acting all superior as if your more than just a controlling ass that can't stand that a human pick pocketed him without his notice!" She tried arguing with me, but her words felt flat. Had she said that a few minutes ago, before I came to the conclusion of us being mutually affected by the other I would be shouting right back at her.

"You only wish that was the case!" My voice was the cheeriest it had been all day and I was starting to feel slightly giddy. "If you really have no positive feelings towards me than feel free to leave. No one will stop you! You were right earlier. I have enough information on your murders and the ability to easily track you down if you ever decided to share the secret of vampire's existence. My brothers won't be too happy at you going free, but they won't go against my decision." Bella stared at me, obviously trying to see if I was telling her the truth. "Well Bella, what is it going to be? Leave now and never have to see me again or stay and have the world?" Her hesitation was making me all the more sure in my assumption. "If you leave, you'll never be allowed back. The guards would kill you on sight if you ever returned to the city. I won't force you to come back nor will I let anyone else do so." The look of defiance that I both loved and hated was once again back in her brown eyes. She stood up, off the bed and started heading towards the door and her bag. I didn't let her see the panic that her actions caused.

"Stop acting like there is something between us that isn't there." Bella said curtly and I growled in frustration. Her skirt caught my eye and I realized something. Before she could reach her bag I spun her around so she was facing me then pressed her against the wall as gently as I could manage. "I knew you had no intention of letting me go!" She shouted at me, her warm breath fanning across my face.

"Oh no, I plan on letting you leave, but I'm just curious about something. You've managed to hide three items on your person rather discreetly throughout this little meeting of ours. Two of which were your own, a knife and a key, while the other was a stone of mine from my childhood and now I think I've spotted a fourth." She was trapped between me and the wall with no space separating us. Her fists were gripping my shirt, but she wasn't shoving me away. "So what else are you hiding beneath those clothes, my thief?"

**Don't you just want to kill me for ending the chapter here? lol review!**

**Btw, I'm trying to find a story, most likely a BellaxJasper one that had quotes (not music quotes) at the start of each chapter. That's the only thing I remember about it. I need to get one of those quotes. Tell me if ya know (even a faint idea) via PM please. **


	6. Pushed to the Edge We Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Important AN: In this story Marcus knows Aro killed Didyme. Chelsea bound his ties to the Volturi.**

**Also, thanks for everyone who gave suggestions of where the quote could be. I still haven't found it, but you all helping means a lot to me (makes me feel loved lol)  
**

**Aro's POV**

**Chapter 6: Pushed to the Edge We Fall**

_Previously:_ _"So what else are you hiding beneath those clothes, my thief?"_

I dragged my hand down her shoulder till it reached the back of her knee. I was bent over slightly, my lips a fraction of an inch away from her neck. I hitched her leg as high as her tight skirt would allow me to. She didn't protest as my hand slid up the skirt to the place where the garter belt met her stockings. Bella's face was flushed and she arched her back so that we were even closer. I withdrew my hand from her skirt, holding a thick money clip of Euros. Stepping away from her I said: "a thief to the very end, aren't you?"

It took Bella a moment to understand what just happened. I could smell her arousal and it was making it very difficult to control my baser instincts. She shook the fog from her head and spit at my feet. Without saying anything she picked up her bag and left.

I felt like my insides were being shredded to pieces as I watched her lethal form walk away from me. The relentless steadfastness of her steps only amplified the feeling. There was no hesitation in her gate, only anger caused by me.

Perhaps I had been wrong. Maybe I was the only one who felt this magnetic pull, this longing I've never felt before. I came to the conclusion that she really did hate me when she turned the corner and didn't even glance my way.

I wanted to call her back and make her stay by my side till the sun exploded, but if anything; I was a man of my word. I said she could go, and she did so without a thought. To her I was nothing but an annoying predator that wouldn't let her out of his cave. I turned around when I could no longer hear the clicking of her heels on the stone floors.

My once prized room was in shambles. Books were scattered on the floor. Only a small portion of the door was even still hinged to the wall. The posts of my bed were destroyed. The crown that I had for centuries was a smashed ball. There was a hole in the wall. In general, it looked almost as shitty as I felt.

I turned away from it and pulled out my cell phone as I started making my way to the throne room. A moment later Alec was on the other line.

"The woman we found in my room should be near the front of the castle. I want you to follow her out of sight. You are not to make contact with her nor let her know of your presence. You are to make sure no harm comes to her until I order otherwise. If any man lays a hand on her kill him discreetly. Take your go-bag and cell phone. Report to me every twelve hours." I closed the phone just as I entered the throne room.

Many of the guards stared at me, but quickly looked away when they saw the anger in my eyes. Marcus and Caius were sitting on their thrones, discussing my recent behavior. I glared at everyone but my brothers.

"Out! Out all of you!" I shouted and in seconds it was only my brothers and I in the room. I walked over to Marcus. "What is she to me?" Marcus closed his eyes, furrowing his brow in concentration. When he opened them again they were slightly glazed over. He blinked and his eyes were focused again. Marcus started chuckling and I snarled at him.

"The Gods do seem to enforce Karma." He hadn't shown this much emotions in centuries and it only infuriated me. I grabbed his wrist and read his thoughts. I released my grip and hissed at him. Marcus' gift told him that she and I were soul mates. He found it only fitting that my soul mate left me considering I had killed my sister, his soul mate. "Everyone could hear the two of you Aro! She absolutely despises you!" His laughter grew and I was reminded just how much he hated me.

"You and I both know that she'll come back. She _has _to come back!" My words didn't hinder Marcus' laughter.

"You fool, you said that if she ever did comeback the guards would kill her." Marcus' voice was filled with his cackles. "And you can't even go after her! You've dug your own grave with a promise. Did you really think she wasn't going to take you up on your offer of freedom after you were so cruel to her earlier? You're more arrogant than I ever thought!" His words angered me, but I knew I couldn't argue with the truth behind them. Instead, I turned away and went to my room to analyze all that had happened in this exceedingly long day.

* * *

**Bella's POV**

The taste of freedom was still fresh on my lips when I exited the winding halls of that wretched castle. I was running on emotion overload. That damned man was fucking with my judgment. One minute I was boiling over with rage and the next restraining myself from pulling him closer to me.

He had my thoughts and actions jumbled in all directions and I hated it. Aro was… unequivocally a pompous ass, but…

I banished the thought before it could fully form.

Instead, I focused on every word he said that had pissed me off.

"_You have no right to wear the garb of royalty."_ The hell I didn't.

"_My thief, your life is mine now."_ Piss off.

"_What are you doing to me you Witch?" _Shut up.

"_I have more power over you than you could comprehend."_ You ass.

"_Do I affect you the same way you affect me?"_ Definitely not.

"_A thief to the very end, aren't you?"_

"Shut up, you bastard." I whispered to myself.

Being a thief didn't define me. I'm not letting him being a vampire change my already negative view of him.

I kept forgetting that he was not human only for that fact to backslap me when his eyes turned black and he moved at an inhuman pace.

I arrived at the inn faster than I thought I would. My steps were fueled by my nearly endless anger so it only made sense that I was walking fast. With a sigh I realized that the other man I had pick pocketed from never returned the key when he brought me my bag.

"Oh Ms. Rossi, did you forget something? Your boyfriend already paid the balance on the room." I had used a fake passport when I first rented the room.

"Yes, I forgot a few things in the wall safe." I said with a smile as I produced a key from my pocket. Before I entered the inn I had fished it out of bra. "Sorry for the inconvenience." The middle aged woman beamed at me sweetly.

"No problem whatsoever! I haven't had the chance to clean the room yet so everything is as you left it." She said as she led me to the room and unlocked the door for me.

"Is it alright if I take a quick shower? I just had a big fight with my boyfriend who's house I was going to stay at tonight, but now…" I let the sentence drift and made my eyes water.

"Poor darling, of course you can take a shower. The room is still not booked if you want to rent it again." The older woman offered me. I quickly found a lie to spew out to her.

"I found him with another woman so I'm trying to leave the city before he can find me and try to convince me to come back to him."

"The bastard!" She said, startling me. "My ex-husband cheated on me so I understand. How about I serve you dinner before you leave?" This woman was more of a mother than the woman who brought me into this world.

"Thank you, but I have to hurry. He knows I was here earlier so it won't be long till he gets here."

"I understand perfectly, my dear. I'll just pack you a box of food to take with you since I already made too much for dinner." She ushered me into my room and I could only thank her some more.

The room looked the same as I saw it last time, absent my bag. I dropped my things quickly and stripped down. I had to get Aro's scent off of me. It was driving me insane. The quick shower I took couldn't wash away him from my thoughts. I changed into jeans and a nondescript sweatshirt. The wall safe was untouched. Aro's lackey must have not noticed it. The bulk of my cash was there. I took out a few bills and shoved it in my pocket, another bill went in my bra, and the rest went into my backpack. As I put on my running shoes I remembered Aro had broken the knife I usually hid in it, leaving me without a weapon.

My chest hurt, but I didn't acknowledge the pain. I kept my mind focused on getting out of Volterra and then Italy.

I still had Aro's golden lapel pin. I wanted to throw it against the wall, but couldn't. It found its way into one of the secret compartments in my bag.

The nice inn keeper handed me a small box wrapped in a lovely scarf. I questioned her about it, but she just said it was a gift. I gave her the key to the safe and we said our farewells. If she wasn't so sweet I would have stolen a knife off the counter as I left.

It was dark out by the time I hit the streets. I had the distinct feeling of being followed. Damn vampires. I swear if he gets one of his guards to kidnap me I'd found a way to end his eternal life.

I pulled on some driving gloves and checked each of the cars I walked by to see if they were unlocked. Carjacking wasn't really my forte, but I needed to get out of the city fast. An older black car was the only unlocked one that fit my criteria. Hotwiring it took too long for my taste, but when I got the motor going I had it in gear and was on my way out of this cursed town.

The pain in my chest only grew as I left the city and was on the open road.

**How did you guys feel about this chapter? What do you think of Marcus' reaction and situation? Be kind and send me a review please! **


	7. Party Hard, Die Hard

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Bella's POV**

**Chapter 7: Party Hard, Die Hard**

**Two Years Later **

**Just outside of Paris**

I was laying on a chaise longue in a silk blue gown. I was trying to stay still even though I the glass of red wine in my hand was begging for me to drink it.

"That's enough for tonight, Bella. I think I finally got the curve of your lips just right." My close friend Diane said as I stood and cracked my back. I drained my glass then went to go look over her shoulder. The large canvas had the start of an abstract painting of me on it.

"Your ability to capture life in paint is amazing." I complemented and she just smiled. "Can you unzip me?" I turned around and felt her hand glide down my back. The silk effortlessly fell off. I walked away to my temporary room.

Diane was a doll. She was a reclusive painter who found me to be a great subject for her work. She wasn't that talkative, which was fine with me. I told her stories of my travels and nights out while she painted me and in return she let me use her house and car free of charge. She even made me food every morning. I had the distinct feeling that she had a crush on me, but for the three months I had been living with her she hadn't made a move in that direction.

I was fine with that. No one had caught my interest in that way in what felt like years, but I didn't like thinking that far back.

The pain in my chest never died down. It was always a scolding hot dagger that twisted with every breath I took.

Many times I had felt the urge to run back to Volterra and to that infuriating man. Aro had been right. There was something between us, but he wanted to own me, and I wasn't one to be owned.

I changed into a pair of tight jeans, black boots, and blood red v-neck shirt. Putting on makeup calmed my nerves and helped me concentrate. I always had the feeling of being watched. I knew Aro was too impatient to just watch me from a distance so I assume he has one of his guards following me. I left my hair down, messing it up a bit to give me a freshly fucked look.

"Heading out for the night, be back by dawn." I announced and Diane ignored me, too entranced by the paint on her brush.

The wind felt great in my hair as I drove with the windows down. After a 20 minute drive I found myself in front of one of my favorite clubs. I didn't have to wait long to get in since I was a familiar face and it was a well known fact that I tipped the bartender well.

The music pulsated a hypnotic beat and I could feel it shaking me to the bones. It engulfed me after a few shots and a White Russian to wash it all back. Hot bodies moved as one as the lights flashed and music pumped out.

I danced for four hours before a cold hand on my shoulder startled me into stillness. This freezing touch in such a hot room could only mean one thing: vampire. I turned around, eyes narrowed to glare at the culprit. I was both happy yet disappointed to find it wasn't Aro. Instead, it was a slightly taller vampire that I had never seen before. I could still see his red eyes even in the dimmed lights.

"Do you speak English?" He shouted over the music. I was getting a false lost puppydog feel from him.

"Sorry, I don't speak English." I replied in French. Over the years I had lost my accent. I had the feeling he was going to try to pull the lost/helpless tourist on me, as if I hadn't seen that a hundred times before.

"Good, I need to brush up on my French." He said with an over exaggerated American accent. "Let me buy you a drink. I've been dying to talk to a local." The vampire tried laying on the charm. "Truthfully, I just stumbled on this place. I don't even know where I actually am." He laughed and tried to look bashful.

"Sorry, I'm out with the girls tonight and we promised that we wouldn't let any guys get in between us. My friend just came off a bad break up." The lie spilled out of my mouth naturally. I could tell he was trying not to growl. His cold hand shot out and grabbed my wrist and he put his mouth near me ear.

"Look you little slut, I don't care if you promised them you'd be right back." I felt a knife against my gut. "You're coming with me and if you're a good girl I might just let you live."

"Look _vampire_," I hissed and he was momentarily stunned, "Aro and I are close friends and he'd be quite pissed if you killed one of his future guards." He was staring at me, trying to see if I was telling the truth or not. The vampire obviously recognized Aro's name, which I was thankful for. I was putting all my money on him either letting me go or one of the guards Aro has shadowing me showing up. I could tell that he came to a bad conclusion when he smiled broadly and yanked me closer.

"Lord Aro would never leave what was his unguarded." The vampire hissed into my ear and I cursed internally. "I don't know how you know of the Volturi, but they wouldn't want me to leave someone who knows the secret of our existence alive." He started pushing me off the dance floor, knife pointed at my lower back as I tried to formulate a new game plan. Luckily, I didn't have to. I saw the vampire I had pick pocketed after Aro, I believe his name was Felix, pushing his way through the crowd and towards us.

"This is your last chance to get out of this alive, vampire. I won't warn you again." He scoffed. "Your funeral then." I said just as Felix caught up with us. He blocked our route and I could see a golden 'V' pinned on his chest.

"I suggest you step away from the woman. She's property of Aro Volturi and under my protection." I suppressed my eye roll at his words. I did have to admit that Felix did look intimidating with his arms crossed and teeth reflecting the strobe lights. The knife was still firmly pressed against my back. Felix glanced at me. "Sorry for the delay Ms. Bella. A mob of drunk, dancing, and horny humans tends to make traveling from one side of the room to the other an adventure."

"I understand perfectly." I gave him a dismissive nod and for some reason it made him chuckle.

"If only Aro was so forgiving." The music drowned out his voice, but I could read his lips. I laughed.

"Are you trying to say that he is a pompous ass who always thinks he's right? If so, I completely agree." I tried to diffuse the tension between the three of us, but I felt the vampire behind me growl and grip onto my arm tighter. My arm felt like it was being pulverized, but I tried to not let the pain show. Felix saw it though, and his snarls were almost as loud as the music. I couldn't understand why the crowd wasn't staring at us. I knew that most of them were drunk, but I didn't think they were that drunk. I glanced around and now that I looked at it from their view it would seem like two guys fighting over some chick. One male most likely an old boyfriends and the other the new one.

"Let her go and I'll leave you your life." Felix said. I had the feeling that backing this guy into a metaphorical corner wasn't the best idea. This thought was proven correct when a sharp pain pierced through my back and into my right lung.

I looked down stunned and saw fingertips sticking out of my chest. The vampire behind me removed his bloodied hand and I fell to my knees, unable to hold myself up. Blood was gushing out of the hole and I started coughing up blood. Felix scooped me off the glitter covered floor and I tried focusing on him. My eyes automatically landed on the golden 'V' on his chest. With blood coated fingers I brushed it.

"Aro…" I sputtered. Black spots started clouding my vision, but I fought against it. I wasn't going to let death take me so easily. I pressed my hands against the wound on my chest, but I could tell most of my blood was escaping from my back. "Damn it!" I wheezed. "Get me to a fucking hospital." I felt cold air, but could only see the golden 'V'.

"I think it's a bit too late for that, Ms. Bella."

**Hope this time skip didn't mess ya up. So I completely hate when chapters end with Bella blacking out so, yeah F that. To everyone who I haven't responded to yet sorry. College**.

**Send me a review please!**


	8. News Prompting Preparation

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

_Previously:_ _"Damn it!" I wheezed. "Get me to a fucking hospital."_

"_I think it's a bit too late for that, Ms. Bella."_

**Aro's POV**

**Chapter 8: News Prompting Preparation **

I smashed the phone in my hand. I could still hear Bella's screams in the background of the call I just ended.

Some nomad vampire had the nerve to take what was mine! My fingers dug into the palm of my hands. I was angry, but infinitely relieved that I had sent both Alec and Felix to follow her. If Felix hadn't of been there…

I growled loudly.

At least Alec had tracked down the nomad that had attacked her. He had the idiot dismembered and in the trunk of their car.

Bella had just started the process of changing into one of my kind and it wasn't my venom pumping through her veins.

That infuriating woman always had to have her way, didn't she? Had she just stayed by my side as she should have Bella would already be a vampire and over her newborn phase.

These two years without her had been Hell. I longed to sweep her back to my castle and lock her in a tower, but restrained myself. I made a promise and I wasn't one to break a promise, especially to my soul mate. And yet fate had dictated that she come back to me. It was either interfere with her life or let her die. The decision was an easy one. I'd break a hundred oaths to save her life.

I was somewhat disgusted with myself for being so weak when it came to a human woman, well, it's not like she was going to be human much longer.

The reports of Bella's day to day life were stacked in a corner of my study. I may feel crazy at times, but I was far from masochistic so I had never read them, but I liked having them close. I was more tempted than usual to read them. Routine questions ran through my head.

What did she spend her time doing?

Was she still stealing for a living?

Had she taken a lover?

Did she even remember me?

Was she still as stubborn as ever?

The list went on and on.

I wanted to meet them halfway in their travel back home, but knew that they would soon be in the air, in one of the Volturi's private jets. I didn't know what to do with myself. Bella was suffering the burn of the change while I sat idly in my castle.

I reached for my cell phone only to remember I had destroyed it in my anger.

Usually, newborns were trained and kept in the lower dungeons of the castle, but I wouldn't have that for my mate. Whether she liked it or not her room would be right next to mine. The corridor that my room was in was only occupied by me.

One of the guards was passing by my study and I told them to come here. It was Jane.

"Hand me your phone. I broke mine." She pulled it out of her front pocket. Her cell phone was smaller than mine and I wondered how she hadn't broken just by walking with it in her pocket. "Your brother is coming home soon." I said off handedly before dialing Heidi's number. If I remembered correctly, which I did, she wouldn't go out hunting until two days from now and her last shopping binge had just ended so she was most likely in the castle. She answered on the first ring.

"What's up Janey?" She said with a cheery voice. In my peripheral I saw Jane trying to stifle a grin.

"This is Aro. Prepare the room next to mine for a newborn. My mate is coming home."

"Yes sire, and pardon me for referring to you as-" I closed the phone and handed it back to Jane and she left me with my thoughts. When it came to Bella I always seemed to lose what few manners I had.

They should arrive here in a little under two hours. That amount of time was too long for my liking. I stood, deciding to waste some time by telling my brothers of the sudden event. I found Caius easily. He was in the war room, planning for imaginary battles. He wasn't surprised by the information and didn't even seem to really care. At least he told me congratulations.

Marcus was a bit harder to find. After asking a few of the guards I found him in the library, piles of current newspapers spread out around him.

"My Bella is coming home. A vampire attacked her and Felix was forced to start the process of her becoming a vampire."

"So you broke your promise?" Marcus asked, not looking up from the newspaper he had in his hands.

"Somewhat, I'm sure she'll forgive me eventually though."

"There is no somewhat about it. You broke your promise and from what I heard of your bickering with her, she didn't seem to be the forgiving type." Marcus was trying to plant the seeds of doubt in my mind. I didn't answer his comment.

"Just thought you'd like to know considering you pride yourself on staying with all the current news." It wasn't that good of a comeback, but it was better than nothing.

"You could have just sent one of the guards to tell me rather than bothering yourself with the task. If you were really feeling lazy you could have just called." He really was just trying to make me angry.

"Perhaps I just wanted to see your reaction when I told you the news." It wasn't the reason for the trip, but he didn't know that. Marcus finally sat down his newspaper.

"What were you expecting of me, Aro? Do you think I was going to be angry? That I was going to make you send her back or order some guards to try and attack her? I may hate you, but I wouldn't sacrifice my position as one of the three kings just for some pathetic woman that you can't even control. You made Chelsea bind me to both you and the Volturi. Even if I wanted to kill her I couldn't because of this faux loyalty." Throughout his speech Marcus' voice was completely monotone. "Anyways, soul mate or not, last time you held her captive she was all too happy to get away from you. Why would this time be any different?"

"Perhaps you're right, but I have more faith in the bond between soul mates than you do, apparently." With that said I left the library and started in the direction of my room. Along the way I saw various members of the guard carrying piece of furniture to Bella's future room.

"Lord Aro," Heidi said once I came into her view, "your mate's room is halfway done. I have all the main pieces of furniture set up. Now I'm just making it a bit more hospitable." I nodded in response, but continued towards my room.

After my second encounter with Bella my room had to be completely redone and all new pieces of furniture put in place. All in all it looked the same as it did before it was touched by my anger, but it didn't feel the same.

Rifling through my closet I pulled out the black cloak she was wearing when I found her hiding in my room. I quickly went to her room and placed it in her own closet.

"She'll need new clothes when she gets back. Once Bella is halfway through her change I want you to take her measurements and get her some appropriate attire." I order Heidi, who was putting on new linen on the bed. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, sire."

Just as she said this I heard the faint screams of Bella as Alec and Felix hauled her into the castle.

**So this was just a bit of a glimpse into what Aro was doing/feeling during their separation. And of course, I had to add in some Marcus spice to my chapter. Tell me how I did on this chapter! **

**Much love, silver drip.**


	9. Futile Trial

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**Aro's POV**

**Chapter 9: Futile Trial**

_Previously: Just as she said this I heard the faint screams of Bella as Alec and Felix hauled her in._

At a speed I had never achieved before I ran to the origin of the ear piercing screams. Felix was cradling her closely to his shirtless chest.

I ripped her out of his arms and into my own. Felix's shirt was pressed tightly against her gaping wound. The hole was too big to just lick close. I growled. Bella's face was so pale with a line of dried blood coming from her mouth.

"I need to hunt." Felix's voice was slightly hoarse. I held out my hand and he touched my palm. All the information he had gathered from following her, along with the most recent events were copied into my own thoughts.

"Go, but before you return retrieve her bags from that woman's house and forge a note with an explanation for her sudden departure." I was still trying to process all the information that had just found itself a home in my head as I spoke.

"Yes, sire." Felix said before running out of the castle, half naked and covered in blood.

Alec was holding a duffle bag that was almost bigger than him. Jane was already by his side. They were having a sort of silent conversation before they started checking the other for wounds. The contents of the duffle bag were twitching. The nomad's bits and pieces were in it.

I was too worried about Bella to be angry at the nomad.

"Take him to the throne room and reassemble him." I stared pointedly at the duffle bag. "I want that idiot to have a proper trial so I can relish in his demise even more so." Jane and Alec started moving as one. "Oh, and feel free to make it as painful as possible." The two devil twins smiled at me before leaving.

Bella's yells of pain burdened me, but I understood that it was necessary.

I walked at a slow pace towards my room. Bella's eyes were clenched closed and she was surprisingly still. Instead of taking her to her own room I placed her on my own bed. She curled up into a ball and her screams stopped.

Panic gripped me, but I could still hear her heart thumping vigorously. I sat beside her on the bed and just stared at her for a moment. Bella's hair had grown out at least another foot and she had another piercing in her ear. There were so many little physical changes. Infinitesimal to the human eye, but I could see them all.

"Aro," I was surprised to see Bella's eyes open, "you always give me the worst headaches." She chuckled gravelly and I gave a sad smile.

"Really? Are we fighting again already?" My voice was teasing and Bella gave a grimace of a grin.

"What's happening to me?" I sighed. I wasn't looking forward to telling her that the pain she was feeling would be lasting for three days.

"You were going to die. Felix started the process of you changing from a human to vampire."

"Painful process at that." Bella grunted and narrowed her eyes. "How long?"

"Three to four days."

"Fuck!" Bella squirmed on my bed, and not in a good way. "Did you asses at least catch the bastard who tried to wear my lung like a glove?"

"Yes, Alec tore him apart, but we are having him reassembled just so we can tear him apart again." I wondered how she was strong enough to have a logic conversation with me while in the throes of the change.

"You're all a bunch of resilient bats, aren't you?" Bella's laugh turned into a cough and I wiped away the fresh blood that spilled from her lips.

"Resilient? Yes. Bats? No." She snorted and nearly ripped a tuft off of my bedding with her left hand. She was already physically changing. In truth the part that took the longest was the brain.

"Skin him for me, if you would."

"Happily." All the ways that I could torture that vampire flashed in my mind.

"I can't concentrate for much longer. The pain is too much." Tears leaked from the edges of her shut eyes.

"Aro?"

"Yes?"

"You broke your promise," _fuck_, I thought to myself, "but I'm glad you did."

* * *

I would be remiss to leave Bella alone in a castle of human drinking vampires, so I assigned Heidi to watch over her once she was stable as I went to meet my brothers to conduct a trial on that whelp that had the nerve to attack her.

My brothers were already seated when I arrived in the throne room. The vampire that Felix had dismembered earlier was still missing his legs and arms, but his head was back on the torso. Jane was using her gift on him as Alec stomped on the discarded limbs. I hadn't noticed his screaming since Bella's was still filling my head.

Marcus had a sly grin in place and Caius was subtly tapping his finger on his armrest.

"Why do we have this vampire here, Aro? He broke no laws." Marcus said and Jane stopped using her power on the vampire. She put her foot on the vampire's throat so he couldn't speak.

"Alec, join Heidi in guarding Bella in my room." Alec nodded and left. I picked up one of the vampire's arms and absorbed his thoughts into my own.

"According to his thoughts," I glared at the vampire as I sat on my throne, "Bella identified herself as part of my guard, as part of the Volturi, and even said that if he didn't let her go his life would be forfeit." The vampire tried to speak, but Jane just pushed down harder on his airway. "That alone should be grounds for execution." Marcus scoffed while Caius remained quiet.

"All of that is moot considering that _human_ isn't part of the Volturi. No laws have been broken." Marcus chuckled and I clenched my teeth. "If anything we should be thanking him for trying to kill a human that knows of the vampire world." I restrained my anger against his goading.

"Despite what you say, Marcus, that's not the only thing that should be cause for his death." I steepled my hands and refrained from smiling. "Felix also identified himself as part of the Volturi, stated clearly that she was my property and under his protection. Felix, a member of the Volturi, gave him a direct order to release her, but he didn't comply, instead he tried to take what was mine." I ended the sentence with a growl.

"Normally, I would believe this story you are weaving, that you supposedly read in his mind, but you could easily be lying to take revenge for your mate. We should summon Felix to confirm your tale." Marcus said and I glanced at Caius. He was getting tired of our bickering.

"I already sent him off on another mission, but we can easily call him." I said and nodded to Jane. She pulled out her cell phone.

"Well, isn't that awfully convenient? I think we should wait for him to return and make sure Aro can't contact him to make him match his story." Marcus' voice was starting to rise and he was just being malicious. I stood up in rage.

"You-" I was about to curse him but Caius cut me off.

"Enough!" He shouted as he slammed his fists against the armrests of his throne. He rose from his throne and walked over to the prone vampire. Jane lifted her foot off of him and Caius decapitated him quickly. "Since when did we start taking our 'laws' seriously. We put up that façade of fairness for the outsiders to maintain control of them." He dropped the head and smashed it underfoot. "Before we took over as rulers we killed all those that opposed us mercilessly. We are the only ones here! There is no need to act, to pretend as if we actually care about some ridiculous judicial system! No one knows this vampire is here. And even if they did, who cares? We are not accountable to anyone. If you want to pulverize him into dust for centuries bit by bit, Aro, then do it!" Caius ended his speech by grinding his foot in the pile of venom, brain, and skull. Silence engulfed the room.

"You're right, Caius." I finally said after a good three minutes. "We've taken this charade of fairness too seriously. I think we've played at being the impartial law for too long. This is the perfect opportunity to go back to our roots, to use our power unrestrained by self imposed civility." Marcus said nothing so I continued. "Jane, as much as I'd love to torture that bastard right now I've a mate to attend to. Take him to the dungeon and have your fun." I glanced at Marcus then back to her. "Remain there and guard him from anyone who would want to cut short my fun."

Caius eyed the two of us before heading back to his throne. Before he reached it he used the dais to wipe the brain matter off the bottom of his shoe.

"Well," Caius said, "now that that is done, you should head back to your mate, Aro. She needs you right now." I nodded at my brother before disappearing back to my room.

**How did you like Aro's reaction to Felix's attire? Bella's ability to speak through the burn of the change? Did you like the 'trial' they had? I thought it was a nice glimpse into the Volturi's lives.**

**Review!**


	10. Wake Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**I've made A Play on Predator and Prey update on every Monday due to the hassle (I shouldn't say hassle since I love learning lol) of being in college. Please forgive me.  
**

**Aro's POV**

**Chapter 10: Wake Up**

I dismissed Alec from guarding Bella and sent him to keep his sister company. Heidi went back to preparing Bella's room.

Bella was clawing at my bed sheets and had her teeth clenched. I sat next to her and placed my hand on her face. Her eyes cracked open and I saw a glimmer of recognition.

I had to keep reminding myself that the pain was necessary. That it was the only way she could stay by my side for eternity. I was putting her through this for my own selfish desires. She went through Hell and I got all the benefit. Without my intervention her life would be over and she would never have to be in pain again.

She wriggled around some more and her small hand grabbed onto my wrist. Bella pulled herself closer to me and I couldn't help but lift her up and place her in my lap. Her lethal nails pierced my skin, but I didn't cringe. It was nothing compared to what she was going through.

Bella just continued screaming for hours. I didn't whisper any words of comfort or tried to dull the burn. Nothing could affect the power of the burn. Going through it would only make her stronger, both physically and mentally.

I chuckled darkly. I couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. I could hardly handle a human Bella, a volatile newborn vampire Bella who could fight back with more than just her cutting words might be too much for me. I let that thought sink in and it made me smile. She would be challenging. Perhaps I needed to be challenged…

The outer aspects of the change were nearly complete even though it was still the first day of her change. She was stunning, just as I expected her to be. Before today I hadn't consciously thought about how she would look as a vampire, but I realized that somewhere in my head I had wondered about it.

The venom took care of the superficial parts of a human being relatively quick. Throughout my existence I've found that on the first day skin and outer features started changing along with the brain. The skin would finish first to protect the one that was changing around the time the innards started solidifying. On the third day all that would be changing would be the brain. It needed the most time as every synapse and circuit was refined and endless space started a never ending process of forming.

Nearing the end of her second day Bella stopped squirming and she had her eyes open. The brain had no pain receptors yet the change was still felt there. From my memory and all those that I had gathered it felt like someone plucked out your eyes and poured magma into your skull.

Halfheartedly I wondered if Bella would have a gift. Normally I'd be excited for any new gift to add to my collection, but when it came to Bella as long as she was strong enough to stay alive I didn't care.

My own gift, though useful, had its pitfalls. When I was still young, centuries upon centuries ago, whenever I took in every thought from someone their views and ideals often warped my own. It took years of training to sort out my own thoughts from those of others. Now, I could compartmentalize.

Along with that, the sudden onslaught of thoughts would stun me. In battles any skin contact would short circuit my mind, paralyzing me. It was debilitating. The answer to that was to only fight on pure instinct, never thinking about my moves, just doing.

Bella's eyes were flicking around as if she was in REM sleep.

Another heartbeat and the sound of two people walking invaded my senses. I saw Heidi and Felix nearing. Felix had an unconscious human slung over his shoulder.

"You need to be well fed if you're to deal with a newborn." Felix said needlessly, as if I didn't already know that. I refrained from saying anything, only nodding. He handed me the fat woman and I drank deeply, remembering Bella's scent and trying to imagine what her blood would taste like. Heidi quickly took Bella's measurements. "We've prepared three humans for Ms. Bella when she wakes."

"Henceforth, refer to Bella as Lady Bella."

"We'll spread the word of your decree, Lord Aro." Heidi said bowing her head slightly.

Later on I heard three sedated humans being placed in Bella's room.

Caius joined me. He stared at Bella, but I didn't feel threatened. I knew he had a mate and was no threat to my own.

"I hear you are already giving out rank." Caius' voice was calm and his arms were crossed.

"That I have." I squinted slightly, trying to read his reaction. He gave nothing away.

"Alright." He turned around to leave. "I think I'll go tell Marcus myself. His reaction will surely be entertaining."

I chuckled to myself. I could never figure out whose side he was on. Sometimes he would help Marcus other times me. In general, I think he just likes screwing with us.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that on the third day I almost missed hearing Bella's last heartbeat. It was the sudden moving of her arms as she clutched her chest that alerted me.

"That hurt like a mother!" Bella growled out as she sat up. She glanced at me and her position on my lap. "I didn't know we were this close." With no subtly what so ever she pushed herself off of my lap. "Why does it seem like I can't get rid of you?"

"Perhaps you're the one I can't get rid of." I said and Bella let out a little indignant huff. Her red eyes were flashing around the room, taking in every detail, yet somehow avoiding me.

"This is so fucking weird."

"Must you always curse?"

"Must you always talk like an old fart? Now stop criticizing me. I'm trying to process all of this." Bella gestured to herself. Her words didn't make me angry like they would have normally, merely because she wasn't really paying attention to what I was saying, just reacting without thought. Her mind was focused on the new world around her.

I remained silent as she tested out her new speed, waving her hand around then snapping a beat that would have sounded like a single pulse to human ears. I was surprised by how calm she was acting. Bella flashed to in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. Attentively, she reached out to touch her reflection, but broke the mirror on accident.

"Well, that's an improvement." Bella said, then caressed all her curves. "A definite improvement." My eyes darkened with lust and I growled out. She glanced at me, apparently only now remembering my presence. I reined those feelings in and focused on getting her fed.

"How does your throat feel?" I asked.

"Parched, more thirsty than I've ever been." She was still entranced with her own reflection.

"You know we live off human blood."

"I gathered."

"Heidi," I called. She came in dragging two unconscious humans. Bella's eyes widened, but she didn't pounce as I had expected her to. Heidi looked at her confused.

"Are those for me?" Bella asked Heidi who looked towards me. I nodded.

"Yes, Lady Bella, and a third if you're still thirsty." Bella stared a moment longer before shrugging and picking one up. She drained him, tossed him to the ground before repeating the process with the other human. Bella licked her lips and had a lazy look in her eyes. "Another?' Bella nodded and Heidi whisked to the other room and back. This time she drank slowly, savoring the blood.

"God, that's delicious." Bella leaned against the wall and Heidi dragged away all the bodies. "It's like each human is a different restaurant and when I drink from them I'm ordering my favorite dish and it's cooked just right."

"Your palate will only become more refined, more able to relish each distinct flavor once you become older." Bella kept licking her lips. Her calm demeanor was a bit unnerving. Her red eyes suddenly focused on me.

"Why am I still here, Aro?" I was startled by her question, but once I thought about it, I shouldn't have been.

"Newborns, new vampires, don't have any control over their bloodlust. If we just let you go you'd go on a killing spree." The words didn't sound convincing to me, so I'm sure they weren't to her either.

"Did I look out of control to you?"

"No, but I've come to learn that you are an anomaly in many ways." I rubbed my chin in thought. "Most newborns would have attacked those human viciously, tearing into them and spilling blood everywhere, then ripping them apart, trying to find just one more drop of blood." She looked skeptical.

"Are you saying I'm a freak?"

"Yes, very much so."

**I felt this chapter lagged a bit, but I really love describing stuff like the first half of this chapter. Do me a solid and send me a review.  
**


	11. Bending over Backwards

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight****. Nor it's sequels, which is quite unfortunate, 'cause then I'd have a bit more money on hand. Of course, I do own this plotline.**

**This chapter is a bit short, but it shows a bit of development in their relationship.  
**

**Aro's POV**

**Chapter 11: Bending over Backwards**

Previously: _"Are you saying I'm a freak?" _

"_Yes, very much so."_

"Thanks." She actually looked proud of herself. An awkward silence made itself known. "Aro?"

"Yes, Bella."

"What happens to me now?" I probably should have contemplated her question, or at least pretend to, but I foolishly didn't.

"Become a queen of the Volturi. Stay by my side. Help me rule over this world." My voice had a very matter-of-fact tone to it that almost demeaned the situation. Bella growled at me but surprised herself by the distinctively not human sound.

"I have never, nor will I ever feel the need to rule over others." Bella huffed and glared at me as if she was about to scold me. "All I want to rule over is myself and be the only one to do so."

"Have you ever held absolute power over another?" I asked and she shook her head no. "Then how do you know you won't like it?"

"It's not about liking or disliking it. It's about the morality behind it."

"You just murdered three humans and you're talking about morality?" Our voices were starting to rise.

"There's a difference between releasing others to the afterlife than just holding them hostage, making them dance around against their will." Bella was getting irritated and that made me smile.

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other."

"Are you trying to say tomato, tomato?" Her saying the fruit's name correctly then mispronouncing it confused me. We both looked perplexed before she sighed and looked away with her hands on her hips. "Anyways, who says I want to stay by your side?"

"Because I love you, and you love me." Bella bristled at my statement and her eyes darkened to the shade of rubies dipped in ink.

"You don't even know me!" She hissed under her breath. "Before this week we hadn't spent a half day's worth of time together so don't spin me a web of bullshit. And don't you ever tell me how I feel, 'cause right now all I'm feeling towards you is far from love."

"It's there Bella, underneath the usual fury I tend to incite in you." I chuckled darkly and Bella suppressed a smile. "Destiny, the Fates, the Gods, whatever deities you believe in have brought us together. We are the broken halves of a soul, completing each other. The red string of fate makes us inseparable, unfinished without the other."

"How poetic." Bella said sarcastically.

"Yes, I can be a bit dramatic-" Bella interrupted me.

"Flamboyant, I think that's a better word." I ignored her.

"As I was saying, I can be a bit _dramatic_, "I emphasized the word, "but that doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth. I know you can feel it. This buzzing, as if every atom of my being recognizes you, urging me to touch you, to make you mine." I held up my hand. It was slightly shaking. "I didn't recognize it when we first met, but the first time our skin touched it sealed off any other possible routes our lives could have taken. Since then my hands have shook, unnoticeably at first, but it has always been like that, waiting." My voice trailed off to a whisper. Bella was gripping her chest, not breathing.

"I thought you had placed some ancient vampire curse on me." Her voice was faint. "All those years ago, when I was leaving this castle, leaving you, it felt like an animal was clawing at me from inside my chest, gnawing on my ribs, trying to get out. It always seemed to scratch in whatever direction you were in, trying to make me go back to you." She paused in thought and this information eased my worries slightly. "I think-" her breath was slightly staggered, "the reason I didn't scream as much as the burning from the change warranted was because that constant biting and scraping stopped the closer I got to you." Bella's red eyes met mine. "The only thing I could think about while I was flying in was how I always knew that coming back to you would ease the pain, I just knew." We both contemplated each other's admissions. After a few minutes I approached her warily, hand outstretched.

"It's like a magnetic pull. The closer we get to each other the stronger the draw." For a brief moment I was worried that if we touched again that I'd never be able to let her go, physically or otherwise. "I have so many enemies and you've become my greatest weakness. I've had the revelation that, somehow, I'd let all these things I value," I motioned around me, "the power, prestige, and even my life, I'd let them all go to save your life." I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "That scares me." I hadn't meant to utter the last part, but it came out of its own accord.

Bella startled me by pulling me into an embrace. I tucked her head under my chin as she laced her arms around me. This- this felt right. I purred for the first time in my very long existence and she purred right back.

"This weakness you're showing me," Bella mumbled, voice muffled by the fabric of my shirt, "I needed to see it." She chuckled lightly. "The image I had of you in my head was so imposing. I saw you as this powerful being incapable of anything but fury and unfounded superiority, unfazed by the common worries of man. To know that you aren't all powerful makes me feel relieved." Bella nuzzled me. "If there is to be anything between us we must be equal. No more of that ordering bullshit." I ran my fingers through her hair as I listened.

"I can manage that." I said and Bella snorted.

"I find that hard to believe."

"You say that as if I did order you to do something that you'd actually comply."

"Hardly. If you asked me to do something reasonable then, _maybe_ I'd do as you say, but I sure as Hell won't bend over backwards just because you tell me to."

"Are you really that opposed to bending over backwards for me?" A glint of playfulness shined in her eyes as I asked this.

"Not really, all you have to do is ask."

**In case you didn't get it, that last part was a sex joke. This chapter was a bit short. The six of one, half a dozen of the other and tomato, tomato thing was me trying to show an age barrier between the two. Would you guys be chill with me writing the next chapter in 3pov, I already started so… **


	12. A Pleasurable Call for Peace

**So I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter. College is very demanding and I'm actually trying to get good grades which makes it even harder! In a few months time I might be compelled to do a sequel. **

**3****rd**** POV**

**Chapter 12: A Pleasurable Call for Peace**

Bella's sentence hung in the air, the sensation of playfulness was replaced by a thick, sexual tension. Aro cocked an eyebrow.

"That was very forward of you Lady Bella." Bella mirrored his look of curiosity with one eyebrow up in an almost sarcastic look.

"You're acting serious all of a sudden, calling me Lady Bella rather than your usual Bella. Why is that? I thought we were closer than that." Bella placed her hand on her hips with her chin jutted up, a pose she took often around Aro. He took a step closer to her. She watched him with false wariness in her eyes. In reality she was holding back excitement.

"How fool hearty of me. I made it sound like I was subtly pushing you away when I want quite the opposite." Bella studied his posture for a moment. His chest was puffed out slightly.

"Tell me, Aro in what way do you want to get closer to me?" The edges of Bella's lips curled upwards as she futilely attempted to hide her grin. Her eyes were sharp, catching every slight movement and shift in Aro's posture. Aro, in turn was doing the same, his eyes subtly scanning over her curves, but quickly snapping to any movement she made. They were both slyly prodding at the other, testing and pushing, veering for a sort of mental supremacy over the other while also making sure they were an adequate match.

"In all honesty , I'm debating two different ways to get closer to you, both invasive and pleasurable." Bella didn't respond, her mind racing, trying to figure out what he was referring to. He let her thoughts wonder. After a good five minutes Bella finally responded.

"You can only think of two? That's a bit disappointing…" As her words trailed off Aro let out a short laugh.

"Perhaps I should clarify. I should have said they are two categories instead of ways. One is purely mental while the other is deliciously physical. I want to know everything about you, but I also want to fuck you senseless." Aro's words were smooth and deep. Bella took in a long, slow breath, trying to calm and center herself as to think clearer.

"I can solve that indecision if you'll answer my question." Aro nodded. "Being vampires, does that mean that we're immortal?"

"We don't age. The only way to die for our kind is if they're dismembered and burned." Aro's thoughts strayed to all the different times he had seen the process happen both through his eyes and the eyes of others. He was brought back to the presence by Bella moving closer to him.

"So we have all the time in the world?"

"Yes."

"Well then we have plenty of time for both, but at the moment all I can think about is getting you undressed." As the words escaped her Aro jumped slightly. "What's wrong?" Bella's voice was full of worry. Aro was holding the collar of his shirt.

"When you said that the top two buttons of my shirt came undone." Aro said and Bella looked at her right hand.

"I was thinking about doing that and my fingers were making the motion when I said 'getting you undressed'." Bella's hand formed a fist and released it. "I felt the plastic buttons, the thread that held them in place, and the softness of your shirt. I thought it was just a vampire thing, that my imagination had just grown complex enough to make me imagine and falsely sense what it felt like." She stared at a book on a shelf and it seemed to float.

"I knew you'd have a gift." Aro whispered as he watched the book.

"It's like my arm is invisible and elongated. I can feel the texture of the book and move it without even truly touching it." The cover of the book opened and pages were flipped by an unseen force. It was placed down in its original spot softly.

To Bella it felt like her arms and fingers were doing the work even though they weren't perceivably moving.

"Is it just your right arm? Or can you use your other arm, perhaps even other parts of your body?" Bella looked to be concentrating intently, not hearing Aro.

"I can move my ghost left arm too and the rest of my body, but not as easily."

"Ghost?"

"Yes, since it looks like a ghost is moving things around, not me." Bella said and Aro chuckled. "I can even feel my ghost hand with my other ghost hand." Bella smiled deviously. "You're still so easy to steal from Aro. I would have thought you'd have learned to be more cautious by now." Two gold cufflinks floated into Aro's view. He looked down at his sleeves to see that they were missing.

"It's not stealing when what's mine is also yours now." Aro said riley. With a quick movement he reached out for the two hovering pieces of gold only for them to disappear right before his eyes just as his hand met a hard surface. Bella hissed.

"You practically just stabbed my hand with your nails. You need to get those things filed down or something because they hurt like a bitch!" Bella's words were mangled with growls. Aro was looking at his hand and flexing his fingers.

"I should have figured that would happen. It felt like I tried to stab a vampire's skin with just my middle and pointer finger. It hurt, but only slightly. Where did the cufflinks go?"

"I like how well you can apologize."

"Why should I apologize? We were both hurt on accident, but in return we learned something. Now where did the cufflinks go?" Bella was holding back a tinge of annoyance at his words. Instead she held up her actual right hand, cufflinks in her palm. Two crest shaped indents were in the last stage of healing.

"When I felt the pain my ghost hand immediately was gone and the cufflinks appeared in my hand." Bella tossed the glinting gold toward the ceiling and they disappeared midair again. Aro looked and they were in Bella's hand again. "It's not that my ghost arm is retracting back into my real arm and bring the cufflinks to me. It's more like the ghost arm evaporates into nothingness and anything it was holding magically appears in my real hand. I have no idea how to explain it. This 'gift' shouldn't be possible." Bella mumbled the last part.

"Many gifts seem impossible, yet time after time we see them happen right before our eyes. This world is unfathomable, even to someone like me who has lived not only my own life but thousands of others' lives." Aro's eyes looked out the window in thought. "All we can do is accept it and try to understand to the best of our abilities." Bella was staring at her feet with an impassive look on her face before she smiled brightly.

"My ghost showing up almost made me forget what we were actually talking about." Bella's eyes seemed to be on fire with excitement.

"How could we ever be distracted from such an important matter?" Aro chuckled.

"It's as you said, some things are just unfathomable." Bella started to unbutton the rest of Aro's shirt, this time with her actual hands.

"You are aware that the Volturi are very rich?" Aro asked as he watched her hands move. Bella looked at him curiously, not stopping her unbuttoning.

"Yes, the lavish castle sort of gave away that fact to anyone who looked. Why do you ask?"

"That means there is plenty of money for us to rip off each other's clothes without worrying about their cost." With that said, Aro used a single finger to rip Bella's shirt down the middle like it was wet paper. Bella looked up at him surprised.

"I hope you know that, that was incredibly sexy." Bella said as she tore off Aro's clothing quickly. "You're rather well endowed."

"Stop stating the obvious so I can fill your body with my own." With one hand he undressed her while the other was busy tracing her revealed curves. Bella pulled herself closer to him as they kissed each other hungrily. "You have no idea how many times I've imagined this." Aro said gruffly as he nipped at the spot right below her ear. She let out a wispy moan.

"I have a better idea than you give me credit for. My shower routine wasn't complete if I didn't imagine you doing something rather naughty to me and you can figure out the rest I'm sure." Aro pushed her naked form with his own against the wall and they both groaned. "My best fantasies were always with me against this wall and you in me." Bella smiled fondly.

"I personally didn't care where, as long as it was with you." Aro's words were clipped since his mouth was also occupied by hers. With a little more strength then what was needed he pulled her arms above her head and pinned them there with his left hand. "Your absence was torturous." With his right hand he skillfully started fingering her in a teasing manner, never giving her enough pressure.

"Stop bitching and just fuck me." Bella's voice had a matter-of-fact tone as she ground her hips into his erection with a growl. Aro grinned.

"I wasn't complaining, rather, I was just stating a fact."

"You-" Bella was cut off by her own moan of pleasure as, with no delicacy, Aro entered her. She started rocking her hips in sync with his.

"I should just let you suffer being hot and bothered, but I find this route much more pleasurable for the both of us." Bella half chuckled at his annoyance. He finally released her hands and she used them to caress every piece of him she could reach. She leveraged a new angle and Aro grunted with pleasure.

"How about we just punish each other by fucking until we're both exhausted?" The prospect of her suggestion only turned Aro on more. With just one look into his eyes Bella knew he agreed. "Good, then do me a favor and fuck me harder. I like it rough. Ah!" Aro started complying right away and she came undone.

"How coincidental, I like fucking roughly too." Aro's words were raspy as he whispered them into her ear. It only made her moan louder as he came. Even though an orgasm had just shook his whole body Aro kept thrusting into her. He knew the wall was a push away from breaking so he pulled Bella to the ground. She was surprised by how easily her body could bend to new angles she could never achieve as a human. Bella turned so that she was on her hands and knees with Aro behind her. Every time he filled her up she groaned in delight.

Bella could feel his fingers dig into her hips and it just made her sense of bliss multiply.

For hours on end they fucked, he pulled her hair, she nipped at him with her teeth, they traded verbal jabs, they jockeying to be on top, and reached their peek countless times.

By the time they were finally exhausted eight days had passed. Bella's naked form was lying in Aro's arms staring at the ceiling, unable to move. Aro was staring at her, but his eyes snapped to the door as Heidi entered leading two humans to their death. After another six humans the two vampires were refreshed. Heidi quickly retreated, taking the dead bodies with her.

Bella was purring lightly as she combed the knots out of her hair that had accumulated during their prolonged fornication. Aro's hair had held up much better, barely tangling. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and envy at how manageable his dark hair was. She looked at one of the few fragments of a mirror that wasn't completely ground into nothing and was reminded of the perfection that vampirism had granted her. With her ghost hand she held up the shard and stared at herself before angling it to look at Aro. He was reading a report on the floor that Heidi had brought in with the humans about what had occurred while he was 'away'. He was still naked.

Bella crawled over to his seated form and combed out his long hair which easily fell back into its usual pin straight style. She continued brushing it long after it was needed, simply enjoying being close to him as they purred in unison.

She consciously avoided looking at the report, still having a distaste for ruling over others. Aro finally put down the report, having finished reading it. Bella rested her chin on his shoulder; her body flush against his back as she hugged him.

"I suppose I can think of a reason or two to stay here." Bella said in a teasing voice.

"You can only think of two? That's a bit disappointing…" Aro repeated her words from earlier.

"Do I really have to say the words?" Bella released her hold of him and he turned to face her.

"I would like to hear them." Aro looked at her intently, but was grinning. "It's only three words, Bella."

"You know how I feel. To say it would just be redundant." Bella shrugged then grinned mischievously. "Unless you're_ really_ lacking so much in confidence towards what emotions I feel towards you that you _have_ to hear me say it…" She teased lightly.

"What is that modern colloquialism you always use? Ah! Yes, Shut up. That's it. Shut up and just say it."

"Do you want me to shut up or say it? I can't do both, Aro." Bella said bluntly and shrugged.

"Bella-"

"Fine! So that one emotion, love, yeah that one. I have it and it just so happens to be directed in this general area." She pointed at Aro and shrugged again, holding in a smile since she knew he wasn't going to be satisfied by such a convoluted and indirect answer. Aro leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

"That will do for now than." Aro said and stood to get dressed surprising Bella.

"Alright I'll say it!" Bella said in a raised voice and Aro turned around to face her, trying not to grin. She took a deep breath in and stood."I'll say it, Aro, I'll say it… later." She burst out laughing and he frowned falsely.

"The devil really did send you to torment me, didn't he?" They smiled at each other.

"Yeah, most likely."

**So what'd you guys think about Aro's two ways they could get closer? Their banter? Her gift? The Lemon (I don't really like writing them so I need to know if it was good or not)? The ending? Review! **


	13. Follow Up OneShot

**A Play on Predator and Prey Notice  
**

**Just thought I'd let you guys know I'm releasing a one-shot follow up to this story called Equal Footing. Hope you enjoy it. **

**PS I'm also releasing a Bella/Carlisle story. Just sayin'.**

**Much Love,**

**silver drip**


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